“How did you know?” She looked at each of them in turn. “I had to. I’m the one who leaked to Lyle Lincoln about our Freedom Transformation with Senge. But then he ran into me before Jack was picking me up, and I said you weren’t so good in the sack. I haven’t forgiven myself since. Guilt is such a bitch. Senge is right. It really blocks the chakras and I can’t…”
Cora started laughing. “Blue, you’re just like Daddy. All you need is a rhinestone outfit and it’s his life all over again.”
Weak-kneed, Blue sank into a chair. The women swarmed around him. Mr. Jiggles danced in between people’s feet, not even interested in their shoes.
“Give him some air,” Amber said, gently directing the crowd to take seats.
“It’s true,” Blue said. “More confirmation I’ve turned into Dad.”
“You’re not.” Amber knelt beside him.
“You’re better,” Winnie said. “You do one heck of a Freedom Transformation.”
“Blue figured out what was wrong with me in less than a week. Dooley had me in programs for months,” Ulani admitted.
“He let my husband think he was sleeping with me so I could be happy,” Vivian added.
“Do you hear that?” Amber patted his shoulder. “I promise you that I will not, under any circumstances, let you climb into an Elvis costume and go to a movie premier with one of our clients.”
“I don’t know.” Mary eyed him over the rim of her sunglasses. “That sounds sexy to me.”
“He looked handsome in those Flash tights,” Eleanor piped up. “I vote for tights over rhinestones.”
“And I won’t let you walk out the door with a toilet paper streamer,” Gemma said, holding up her hand from behind the reception desk. “You don’t know how many times Dooley got past me with a roll on his ass.”
Blue felt his gaze drifting expectantly to Cora.
She grimaced. “To prove I care about you, I told Lyle your love life was ruined by the events of the past few weeks.” Her cheeks were pink, just like they’d been when he confronted her about being the office mole. She swallowed.
Shit. There was more. He shook his head. “Tell me all of it.”
“Okay, I leaked the video of you in tights. I overheard Maddy telling Gemma to lock it up. Your precious film never left the office.”
White hot anger rushed through his veins. “You let me think it was Maddy!” Blue gripped his pants legs to keep from gripping Cora’s shoulders.
Cora opened her mouth, but Amber beat her to the punch. “If I fired you today, you’d lose millions.”
Cora tossed her hands. “Blue gave me a lecture about being a better friend and sister. Portia was crushed when you cut her hair. I knew you could take the embarrassment and she needed a pick me up. I tried to make it right.”
No one said a word.
“Who is this bitch?” Mary demanded, poking at Cora with her umbrella.
“She’s my sister.” Blue sighed. “God, help me.”
“Business is up and nobody got hurt.” Amber rubbed his back.
“If you don’t count Maddy, my manhood, my chance at marriage to a great woman. Sure, nobody got hurt.”
“Cora, you owe Blue an apology.” Amber had her arms crossed and that evil look in her eye that he’d only seen once before – at the last regular season Flash game when Amber had told him how disappointed she was in him and Blue considered himself lucky he didn’t get fired.
“I’m sorry that you two always leave me in the dark.” Cora sniffed, ratcheting up her chin. “These past few months have been a nightmare for me.”
Amber moved closer to Cora and softened her voice. “We’re family. I would’ve helped you if only you asked. And if you’re lonely, we can do something together. You don’t need people like Portia, who’s only interested in using you.”
“Yeah. Ditto what she said.” Blue waved one hand in agreement, still smarting from all the too trusting souls and betrayers in his midst.
Cora looked at the two of them and started to cry.
Which required a Rule family hug. And a circle of friends.
Amber recovered first, wiping away a tear. “Well, now what do we do?”
Blue looked at his menagerie of supporters. “We do what Dad would have done. Step out in the open with a target on our backs and trust the Rules of Attraction.”
L.A. Happenings by Lyle Lincoln
…Has every woman in Hollywood slept with Blue Rule? According to my inbox, he’s slept with a range of women, including a cast off of the late, great Tony Curtis.
Chapter 34
With all the crap and less than flattering buzz Blue had been getting, Maddy felt a little sorry for him.
That didn’t mean she had to believe he was heartbroken, as Lyle had written, or answer any of Blue’s calls, texts, or emails, or be nice to Ivan when he called and demanded a copy of her pilot ASAP.
“Why?” Maddy gladly dumped days of heated frustration onto him. “So you can bury the project once and for all? Does Blue think I’m that gullible?”
“I want it because one network and three cable channels have asked for it,” Ivan shouted. “What kind of a business do you think I’m running here?”
“You accepted money from Blue to give me the runaround!”
“But today, I’ve redeemed myself with four legitimate offers on the table. And no one’s seen a frame of footage! When can I have the pilot?”
Oh, boy. Nothing like pressure to deflate a girl’s anger. “Give me a few days.”
“You’re killing me.”
“You’ll live.” She smiled. She hadn’t felt like smiling in days.
“And I thought you were one of the nice ones. Call me.”
Maddy began editing, but her heart wasn’t engaged. Everything felt wrong. About an hour into it, she couldn’t concentrate.
She called Kaya. It was a gamble, but why reach for a sure thing when her instincts were telling her otherwise?
After that, Maddy lost herself in editing for days.
“How can the Rules help me if Maddy isn’t getting back to me?” Blue asked Amber a few days after his clients converged on the office. He’d left messages, apologizing and asking to meet. “I need to go out for a while.”
“Trying to run her to ground?” Amber stopped checking email to look at him. His sister politely didn’t mention he looked like hell, unlike Cora, who’d told him to go home and shave. “She’ll probably be just as hard to find as you were when you were hiding from the Avengers.”
“I hope not.” He headed toward the door, but stopped at Gemma’s desk, picturing Maddy there, cheerful and unstoppable.
“What’s wrong?” Gemma asked.
“Everything.” Maddy had bet her career on him, not knowing that he was a sham. Had she been able to rescue her grandfather’s photo albums from the pawn shop?
Blue spun toward the hallway, walking faster and faster, until he was running to the room where they’d filmed the Avenger’s initial interviews. And there, in the top desk drawer, was Maddy’s pawn ticket.
She hadn’t given Ivan the pilot. He’d told Blue he’d call as soon as she did. Maddy needed her bonus to get the albums out of hock. He studied the ticket for her camera equipment. It’d been stamped paid thirty days ago. Blue’s breath stuck in his throat. Thirty days was the term of Maddy’s loan.
He drove like a fiend across town to Pawning for the Dream. But when he got there, her albums had already been sold.
He slid the big man behind the counter a hundred dollar bill. “I’m willing to pay double for those albums and pay you a finder’s fee.”
The manager came out from a back room. “I’m sorry, dude, but all sales are confidential and final.”
Portia called, interrupting Blue’s chance to argue. “I thought you’d like a heads up. There’s a new video of you going up tomorrow morning on our website.”
“Jesus, don’t you guys ever quit?” And he’d just moved back to his condo.
?
??Kaya, Jenny, and I may be in healthy relationships, thanks to you. We’re trying to decide what to do with the website and all those thongs and T-shirts we ordered.”
“So why the video?”
“Because Maddy asked us for a favor.”
He’d lost her. Blue felt sick to his stomach as he dialed Ivan.
“It could be harmless,” Amber said for the umpteenth time as they waited for the video to go online the next morning. “What else did you say she filmed?”
“Everything. She filmed everything.” Whatever it was Maddy was posting, it had to be bad if it was going up on the Avenger’s site. “Whatever she puts out there, I deserve it. I hurt her.”
“It’s up.” Gemma clomped into Amber’s office.
Amber punched in the website and angled the screen so Blue could see it. “Holy crap, it’s forty minutes long. Are you ready?”
Blue nodded. He’d betrayed Maddy’s trust. Whatever she’d put together he’d earned in retribution, but it was hard for a man to face the last few minutes of what was left of his reputation.
“Wait for me.” Cora ran in on her high heels, followed closely by Mr. Jiggles and Brutus.
Forty minutes later, Blue sank back into his chair. “Shit.”
The main phone line started ringing. Gemma hurried out.
“You can say that again.” Cora patted his shoulder. “Maddy has mad skills.”
Amber shook her head. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“I can’t believe she did that.” Blue scratched the stubble on his chin. “Why would she do that?”
“Because she’s not a bitch. She’s perfect for you. I keep telling you.” Cora flounced off.
“She made you look like you knew what you were doing all along.” Amber grinned. “Hell, I want to give you a raise.”
“Is that really me? I’m nothing like Dad.”
“You still don’t believe all those women that said you were better than Dad?”
He shook his head.
“Maybe you better start.”
“Not until I make things right with Maddy.”
Amber’s expression was framed in doubt. “But you’re with me, right? You’re going to be the relationship coach for the Foundation permanently.”
Blue recalled the letter he’d received from his father at the reading of the will requesting he watch out for the family. It didn’t seem like such a burden now. In fact, Amber seemed to be the one watching out for him lately.
“Blue? Do you want to do this? If you say yes, it means you won’t have a neat and tidy life where you’re in control of your image.”
“It means people will see what they want to see. I understand. And yes, I want to do this, not just for the inheritance money, but because I think I’m wired to do it.” It felt right to say it out loud.
“Good.” Amber looked relieved. She pulled out something from her desk drawer. “I know this is corny, but it’s an official life coaching card. Dad set up certain life coaches who aren’t very orthodox and when you run across them you’ll need to present this to get a straight answer out of them.” She handed him a laminated business card with his name on it.
It didn’t look like anything special. “Who would want to see this?”
“Lyle Lincoln, for one, although he’s a bit off the reservation.”
“That’s for sure.”
“And Senge, although Dad wasn’t behind that offer the sex swami made you.” She dug in her desk for something else. “If you really want to get rid of Mr. Jiggles, you can.”
“Not a chance. I don’t care what color he is. He’s mine.”
The little dog ran up and put his front legs on Blue’s calf as if grateful he had a permanent home.
The phones started ringing again – cell phones, land lines.
Amber pointed at the phone. “This is one sign of your success. But this is from Dad.” She handed him a sealed envelope.
Blue held it for what seemed like hours. The last time he’d opened a letter from his dad, his entire life was turned upside-down. Finally, when he couldn’t stand it anymore, he ripped open the seal.
While he opened it, Amber closed her office door. “In case you want to share it with me.”
“Let me read it first.”
Dear Blue,
If you’re reading this, you’ve passed my test. You’re qualified to be a life coach, although you may still have a sales quota to reach.
Pardon my callousness for not apologizing in person. I have known for years I wasn’t the father you deserved.
But you passed! You’ve discovered there’s more to love than the physical and that the lasting relationships are the most enriching – worth more than a large bank account.
He certainly had that right. Blue would give up his inheritance for a second chance with Maddy.
By learning about love, you’ve learned about communication – something even I regret not mastering. Those you love deserve timely honesty. I am truly proud of you, son.
The last lesson I hope you learn is Courage. It takes guts to live a full life and lead a family as large as ours. Sometimes you have to go to extremes – embarrassing extremes – to protect your family and their livelihood. I chose Amber as C.E.O. because I knew you’d be better suited to bring the rest of the family into the fold.
“The rest of the family?” Blue glanced up at Amber.
She swore and reached for the letter. “Let me see.”
Blue held it back and continued reading.
There are other Rules. And when you, Amber, and Cora set the Foundation to rights, my legal counsel will begin introducing you to my other progeny, who will need you more than they ever needed me.
With all my love, Dad.
He handed the letter to Amber. She scanned it. “If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him.” She glanced heavenward. “Really?”
“We’ll have to tell Cora,” Blue said, dazed.
“We can’t tell her. Because of the will, we’re not allowed.”
“Amber.” Blue leaned forward. “We have siblings out there. They could be struggling financially. They could be messed up from Dad’s influence, like we were.”
Amber swore again. “Okay, we’ll tell her. And we’ll hire a private investigator – ”
“No. We’ll tell Cora this and give her the secrets to life coaching.” Blue ignored Amber shaking her head. “We can’t wait eight months for her to inch toward her quota on gut instinct. She’s ruined my life! Are you willing to roll the dice on her ability to meet her quota? We tell her. We train her. And we find the rest of our family.”
“It’s wrong. The will – ”
“If Dad kept this from us, he may be keeping their parentage from them. That’s wrong. He said himself he wasn’t a good father. We can make this right. We have to.”
He was out of arguments, but that was okay. Amber agreed.
Maddy sat on her balcony sipping coffee, enjoying her first morning away from her computer in days. Of course, the phone had to ring.
Ivan was livid. “What succubus convinced you to post my pilot on that website?”
“I had to do it.” She had to show Blue and the world how she saw him. They didn’t have a future together, but she’d always have a fond place for him in her heart. It was a parting gift. Maybe the next woman he met – her heart clenched – would have a chance with him. “I gave them twenty-four hour exclusivity. Think of this as free promo.”
Behind her in the apartment, Vera chopped a salad to take with her for lunch.
“We gain nothing from this,” Ivan railed. “It’s a deal breaker. And the production quality was crap.”
“It’s fine. Probably your computer monitor is old.”
“The lighting was crap. Blue’s face was washed out. He looked like a vampire.”
“To you, maybe.” To her he looked angelic, maybe even a little glittery.
“The sound quality was crap. Sub-titles? Are you kidding me?”
&nb
sp; “I used them sparingly. They do it on television all the time now. People are more forgiving nowadays.”
“I’m not.” She heard something in the background. “What? Amy, I told you not to disturb me.” Another mumble of words. “Who? Shit. Maddy, I’ll call you back.”
So, the verdict was in. Maddy’s career in the entertainment business was over. She’d given it her best shot, but posting the pilot was the right thing to do. She was destined for a life in dry cleaning. She’d call her parents later today and tell them that she’d be moving back to Sherman Oaks at the end of the month. She’d miss Vera and downtown Beverly Hills and celebrity sightings. She’d –
Her phone rang.
“You are so fucking lucky,” Ivan said when she picked up. “That was the Discovery Channel. They loved the fucking pilot. I’ll have our legal department work out the details and get back to you in a couple of days.”
Maddy couldn’t breathe. Her entertainment career was finally taking off. She wouldn’t be pressing shirts the rest of her life.
And then she realized what that meant.
They’d green-lit The Rules of Matchmaking. She’d have to see Blue again. On a daily basis.
A drink was called for.
She went back inside to spike her coffee, pausing to look at the calendar, because her stupid brain was already weighing production schedules.
Written on yesterday’s block were the words: pawn shop.
She gripped the countertop. Poppa Bert. She’d forgotten. The last few days had been a blur of editing and re-editing. She’d hardly left her computer to eat.
The bonus for the pilot. She needed it. Now. Today.
If Juan hadn’t sold the albums.
Fingers shaking, Maddy fumbled with her cell phone.
Vera glanced up from cutting a tomato. “What’s wrong?”
“Juan, it’s Maddy. I know I’m a day late, but – ”
“I sold them, Maddy. I’m sorry, chica. I told you I would.”
Maddy couldn’t speak. She hung up the phone and threw her arms around Vera.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Cora waved her cell phone at him.